Recent content by Gamma1214

Welcome Ben. A few hours each way isn't too bad but I guess you could bring home two boats to increase the efficiency of the road trip. Hey, what can I say; I like to help... Let us know how you do :D

Welcome. I'll look forward to following along on your build thread. I hadn't considered a Kite myself but, IIRC, that was mem's 1st build. Either way, it's always nice to have some new blood building.

By all means, make a couple from Ash to get the feel of it and get your length in your sweet spot. Then find yourself a nice piece of Sassafras & make the paddle that you'll use all the time. (lighter weight & better flex- you won't be sorry)

OK, thanks guys. I've gotta believe that the glitch is in my laptop so I'll restart the computer & see if that fixes it then, perhaps, resort to "percussive maintenance" if the condition persists. Edit: Restarting solved the issue with no need to smack the laptop around. Thanks again for...

Holy thread drift Batman! The Sumacs we're interested in are the Buckhorn, Smooth & Fragrant Sumacs all of which produce seed heads of red, fuzzy berries that can be brewed into a tea & chilled to make a very pleasant pink lemonade facsimile. Poison Sumac is more shrub-like and produces white...

I've been checking his progress around the island and, for the last 2 days, I can't display the tracks. Refreshing centers the map on what I presume to be his current location & I can see that he's been sending messages but the tracks aren't displaying. Computer glitch on my end or an...

Not to unduly continue the thread drift but Sumac is a small, junk tree that grows throughout most of North America. It rarely exceeds 20 feet tall (trunks are usually 6 feet or less) or 6 inches in diameter so it's a serious PIA to get wood from. (it's much easier to make pink lemonade from...

Welcome aboard. Lots of builders here and they'll lend opinions / assistance if you ask (and, sometimes, if you don't lol). Strippers really are great projects and they're not hard to do. Primarily a test of patience. Start a build thread, update progress when you can and I'm sure you'll...

I guess that might depend on how much patience you have. When fresh-cut, wood is often 50% or more water and most will air dry to 8-10% in a year or two. Even with steaming, there's simply no way that you're going to get back to green wood moisture levels. About the only thing that I've bent...

In my experience, that's how it works (although, so far, the Raven seems promising as a great all-around solo and it's only my second build). The good news is that they get easier (and look better) as your building skills improve. My long-range plans are to build at least two more solos (for...

Interesting project for sure & I'm reading along but I'm still mostly trying to figure out what you're doing as it's a real departure from anything that I've done. One suggestion that I will offer at this point: Rather than towels, boiling water & heat guns, can you set up a 15-16 foot section...

If you're interested in building, The 16' 3" version of the Freedom Solo from Bear Mountain might work well for you. I would be concerned in 3 foot swells (I'd, actually, probably be on shore waiting it out) but, otherwise, it should do what you'd like and mine (built from Aspen which is...

Sorry Tony, maybe we can get back to that but I'm curious: I've never paddled with a bent shaft and I rarely use an in-water recovery. I typically j-stroke and palm roll nearly every stroke. Is there some reason why one couldn't learn to reverse the palm roll 1/2 way thru the return and...

I've always heard "do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life" but, at least to me, getting paid to paddle (and, presumably win occasionally) that would take most of the fun right out of it. I can certainly see where learning & practicing strokes would be beneficial (and...

Pick a hot day. You'll likely be surprised how quickly the muscle memory returns. Not long ago I guided some friends on the lower Yough, 1st time I'd run those rapids in decades, and I was pleasantly surprised that I was not completely out of my league (though I was certainly rusty)